Peril at Granite Peak (5 page)

“Okay. Thanks a million!” I left her wrangling the kids and went in search of Joe and Chet. They weren't in the lobby, and when I went out to the portico, they weren't there, either. Mr. Gallagher was piling his latest load of luggage by the curb. “Have you seen my brother or Chet?” I asked him.

Rick heard me and looked up. “Those other two fellows from your group?” he asked in his gruff way. “They were heading out to the parking lot last I saw.”

“Thanks.” I guessed they'd gone out to tinker with the jalopy.

I headed out into the snow. As I did, I heard a sharp little bark. I was surprised—that definitely didn't sound like Blizzard, and I hadn't seen any other dogs on the property. A moment later, a tiny Chihuahua or something leaped into view through the rapidly increasing snowfall.

I say “or something” because if the thing hadn't just barked, I wouldn't have known it was a dog at all. It was dressed in a bright-pink coat that covered most of its body. A little knitted cap was tied around its head, covering everything except two big, dark eyes and a little pointy nose. The snow on the drive was already deep enough to come up to the tiny dog's chest, but it pranced high enough to show the matching pink booties on all four paws.

I was so busy taking in the dog's outfit that I didn't glance up until the person walking it greeted me by name. It was Josie. She was wrapped in a long parka and a hat with a pom-pom that matched her pet's coat.

“Hi,” I greeted her. “I didn't know you had a dog.”

Josie scooped up the tiny dog and cuddled it. “Oh, yes. Toy Toy is my sweetie pie,” she said. “He's not usually supposed to be out around the guests, but I wanted to get him out for one last good walk before the blizzard hits. I figured it would be okay since almost everyone is gone.” A shadow of anxiety passed over her face.

I didn't want to get into all that again. “Okay, have a nice walk,” I said politely. “I'll see you later.”

Or not. But like I said, I didn't want to get into that.

Joe and Chet were peering into the jalopy's engine when I reached them. “Did you figure out what's wrong?” I asked hopefully. Maybe we wouldn't be stuck entertaining four screaming kids all the way down the mountain after all.

“Nope,” Joe said. “I don't think they've made most of these parts since, like, 1952.”

“I'm sure I can figure it out eventually,” Chet said. He shot me a sheepish look. “But she's not going to get us out of here today. Did you find us another ride?”

“Actually, I did.” I told them about Mrs. Richmond's offer. “We're supposed to meet them out front in a few.”

Joe actually looked a little disappointed. “And here I was just getting psyched to ride out the storm.”

“Not me.” I reached over and slammed the jalopy's hood shut. “Come on, we'd better go ask the Gallaghers if we can leave most of our luggage at the lodge and ship it home later. I have a feeling there's going to be very limited space in that minivan.”

When we reached the portico, the Richmonds were nowhere in sight. “Uh-oh. Think they left without us?” Chet asked.

“Doubtful. I just talked to her a few minutes ago. They're probably still inside.”

I led the way into the lobby. Sure enough, Mrs. Richmond was there, along with a tall, thin man I assumed was Mr. Richmond. They were talking to a worried-looking Mr. Gallagher as the kids ran around wildly.

We hurried over. “Boys,” Mr. Gallagher said when he saw us. “I was just telling the Richmonds the latest news.”

“What's that?” Joe asked.

“Rick just called the hotline to see if the roads are still safe.” Mr. Gallagher gestured to the employee, who was stoking the fire nearby. “Apparently the wind has already picked up farther down the mountain. There are trees and power lines down all over the place, and the county just closed the main road.”

“What?” Chet's face went pale. “So does that mean . . .”

“I'm afraid nobody else can leave,” Mr. Gallagher said. “You'll have to stay here at the lodge through the storm.”

H
EY BLIZZ—SIT!” I SWIPED
a stray french fry from Frank's plate and held it up.

The dog's fuzzy ears perked up, and her long pink tongue flopped out. She sank down on her haunches, eyes trained on the fry.

“She's going to be totally spoiled.” Cody smiled as I tossed the fry to his dog. “Mom and Dad don't normally let her in the dining room at mealtimes.”

“Guess tonight's not exactly normal, huh?” Chet reached for his water glass.

No kidding. I scanned the dining room, which was almost empty. The Richmonds had just left to put their kids to bed, which immediately made the whole place a lot quieter. Only two tables besides ours were occupied. Nate
and Cassie Katz were snuggled up together at one, probably feeding each other grapes or something. Stanley Wright was at another. Sitting by himself. Big surprise there.

Suddenly I noticed someone was missing. “Hey, what happened to Poppy?” I wondered. “She was sitting with the honeymooners a little while ago.”

“She left right when I came in,” Cody said, slipping Blizz a bit of hamburger that had fallen off Chet's plate. “Seemed like she was in a hurry—I said hi, but she rushed right past me.”

“That doesn't sound like her.” I reached for the saltshaker. “Usually she's super chatty.”

Chet grinned. “Why are you so interested in Poppy, Joe? Did you want to ask her to go for a moonlit walk through the blizzard with you?”

Frank chuckled and glanced at Cody, who looked slightly confused. “My brother likes to think he's a real ladies' man,” Frank said.

“That's because it's true,” I retorted. “Don't be a hater, bro.”

“Isn't Poppy a little old for you?” Chet asked me. “She's got to be at least twenty-three.”

I rolled my eyes. “You two are the ones claiming I'm interested in her, remember?”

“Yeah,” Frank said. “Because she's the only attractive girl anywhere near our age around here.”

“What about Josie?” Chet glanced at the waitress, who
had just hurried over to the honeymooners' table and was chatting and laughing with them. Luckily, her mood seemed to have improved since earlier. “She's attractive. And young.”

“True.” I shrugged. “She seems a little high-strung, though.”

Cody checked his watch and stood up. “Listen, I just remembered—Mom asked me to take care of some stuff in the office tonight. Better go do it before I get in trouble. See you guys later.” He whistled for Blizzard, and the two of them headed out.

“See you,” Chet called after him. Then he grinned. “More dessert for us, right, guys?”

By the time we finished eating, the wind was howling outside. We wandered through the lobby and down the narrow hall leading to the back staircase, which led up to the end of the hall near our room. At the end of the downstairs hall we paused at the big picture window overlooking the path leading out to the ski shop and the slopes beyond. Huge floodlights lit the scene, though the snow was coming down so hard now that it blocked out some of the glow. Even so, it was easy to see that the storm was really raging. The wind rattled the windows and whipped the snow into tiny tornadoes that danced across the flat, open area between the lodge and the ski shop.

“Wow—cool,” I murmured.

Frank shot me a look. “You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?”

“You mean being stranded here? Sure. It's an adventure. I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. Aren't you?”

He didn't respond, but I could read the answer on his face. That would be a big, fat NO. Sometimes I couldn't believe we were related.

Chet jumped back as the wind flung a twig against the window. “I'm just glad we're in here and not out there,” he said with a shiver. Then he leaned forward and peered out the window. “Wait—is that someone out there?”

“Doubtful. Who'd be crazy enough to go out in this?” I said.

But Frank gasped. “He's right—there is someone out there!”

I could see it now too. A figure had just come into view near the ski shop. The poor visibility out there made it hard to tell anything other than it was a human, bundled up in bulky winter clothes and leaning forward against the wind.

“Who could that be?” I wondered. “Do you think we should go out there and try to help him?”

“I don't know.” Frank bit his lip as the figure struggled a few steps forward across the open area. “Maybe we should get Mr. Gallagher.”

But we all stood there watching as the figure kept moving slowly but steadily toward the lodge. “He's heading for the doors,” Chet commented after a moment.

“Let's go let him in.” Frank led the way to the big double doors leading out the side of the lodge toward the slopes.

Frank swung open the door and the figure rushed in, bringing a burst of snow and wind with him. It was Rick Ferguson. He peeled the scarf away from his face.

“Oh, hello, boys,” he said. “Thanks for getting the door.”

“Sure,” I said, shoving the door shut. “What were you doing out there?”

Rick shrugged off his snow-covered parka. “Locking up the ski shack and other outbuildings,” he said. “Wouldn't want the wind to blow open the doors overnight. Could be a real mess.”

“Oh.” I glanced at the door as it rattled in a gust of wind. “Seems like it's getting pretty bad out there.”

“It is.” Rick stepped over and yanked on the door handle, making sure the latch was secure. “You boys make sure to stay inside tonight, all right? Going to be too dangerous for man or beast out there soon.” He tested the door once more, then nodded curtly. “Night, now.”

“Good night,” we chorused as Rick hurried off in the direction of the employees' quarters just down the hall.

Frank and Chet headed for the stairs, talking about who got first dibs in the shower. After one last look at the blizzard raging outside, I followed.

•  •  •

My heart pounded with terror as the giant monster truck's motor roared. It was coming right at me! I turned to run, but I knew it was too late. The motor roared again, sounding like a roar of triumph. . . .

I bolted upright, blinking in the darkness. Oh, right. Just a dream.

But the roaring sound wasn't my imagination. It was the
wind, howling around the lodge, making the whole building seem to tremble against its onslaught.

Stifling a yawn, I glanced at the table that separated my bed from Frank's. The clock's glowing green numbers were the only light in the room. Ten minutes after midnight.

Normally I had no trouble sleeping. I was a sleeping machine—day, night, car ride, English class, I could sleep right through any of them. But this was the third time the wind had awakened me tonight. I glanced at Frank, who was a motionless lump under the covers. Obviously the storm wasn't keeping him up. Or Chet, either, judging by the snoring coming from the suite's other bedroom.

Yawning again, I stood and stretched and headed for the window. I pulled back the curtains. Our suite had a fantastic view of the slopes, which meant it overlooked the courtyard where the ski shack and other outbuildings were located. The spotlights were still on down there, struggling to light the scene despite the windblown sheets of snow.

The storm was worse than ever. Deep drifts made the landscape look different than it had just a few hours earlier, climbing up the side of the ski shack and making everything look soft and uncertain. Ghostly wisps of blowing snow danced up and down the courtyard like whirling dervishes.

But wait—the snow wasn't the only thing moving out there. I pressed both hands against the cold glass of the window, getting as close as I could. Squinting as I tried to see
through the blowing snow, I focused on a dark blob standing out against all that white.

“Is that a . . . person out there?” I whispered.

It couldn't be. Who would be crazy enough to wander out into a raging blizzard in the middle of the night?

Rick Ferguson,
I thought. Maybe he was making sure he hadn't missed any of those doors. Or checking on the generator, which I was pretty sure was housed in one of the other outbuildings.

Or maybe this was another dream. Yeah, that was probably it. After all, it was pretty much a repeat of earlier that night, when the guys and I had spotted Rick through the picture window. Sort of like all those times I'd relived a particularly heinous social studies test or one of Mom's terrifying semiannual clothes-shopping expeditions the night after it had happened.

I stared down at the dark figure. It appeared to be moving away from the lodge. That was no biggie if this was a dream. If it wasn't?

Deciding I'd better figure it out one way or the other, I pinched my arm. Hard.

“Ow!” I yelped.

There was a muffled grunt from the direction of Frank's bed. A moment later he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Joe?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep. “That you?”

“Yeah.” I glanced at the figure outside. He was still moving away. In a moment, he'd be out of view behind the ski shack. “Get up—quick. There's someone outside!”

Not waiting for a response, I rushed next door and poked Chet in the shoulder. “Whu-huh?” he groaned.

“Up!” I was feeling more wide awake by the second. If my eyes weren't deceiving me, there was someone outside wandering deeper into the storm right now. If we didn't do something, there was no way he or she would last more than a few minutes out there.

I quickly pulled on my sneakers and explained what I'd seen as I led the others out of the suite and down the back stairwell. “Are you sure you saw a person?” Chet asked with a yawn. “I mean, who'd be crazy enough to go out in this?”